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Today's edition of quick hits:
* Very encouraging: "Documents released by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday indicate that Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine is overall safe and highly effective — 86 percent — against the most severe outcomes of the illness."
* In related news: "The Biden administration will deliver more than 25 million masks to community health centers, food pantries and soup kitchens this spring as part of its battle against the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said on Wednesday.... The government will deliver the masks to more than 1,300 community health centers and 60,000 food pantries and soup kitchens between March and May, the White House said."
* The latest out of Texas: "The number of Texans who were boiling their water to make it safe to drink plunged to 3 million Wednesday from 8 million the day before as platoons of plumbers and engineers worked around the clock to repair the countless homes and businesses damaged by a cruel winter storm."
* Thank goodness: "Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Wednesday he'll vote to confirm nominee Deb Haaland to be Interior secretary, a significant boost to her prospects."
* Stunning new details: "Days after South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg fatally struck a man while driving in September, detectives told the Republican official they had found a pair of broken reading glasses inside his Ford Taurus. They belonged to the man he killed."
* On a related note: "The South Dakota state attorney general who is facing misdemeanor charges for striking and killing a man is facing impeachment charges and calls to resign."
* An amazing, if not surprising, report: "Texas's deregulated electricity market, which was supposed to provide reliable power at a lower price, left millions in the dark last week. For two decades, its customers have paid more for electricity than state residents who are served by traditional utilities, a Wall Street Journal analysis has found."
* Seems like a good idea: "President Biden on Wednesday will formally order a 100-day government review of potential vulnerabilities in U.S. supply chains for critical items, including computer chips, medical gear, electric-vehicle batteries and specialized minerals."
* News from late yesterday: "A New York grand jury declined to issue any charges against Rochester police officers for their role in the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died days after being restrained by police in March 2020."
* Thomas Webster: "A retired New York police officer who once was part of the security detail at City Hall was charged on Tuesday with assaulting a police officer with a metal flagpole during the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6."
* A welcome move: "Illinois has set the stage for a significant overhaul of its criminal justice system after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed off on a new law that not only institutes major police reforms, but also makes the state the first in the nation to completely abolish cash bail."
* Progress: "More than 160 Confederate symbols were removed from public spaces or renamed last year after the death of George Floyd, more than the previous four years combined, a watchdog group said on Tuesday."
See you tomorrow.